Thermal Instability Research Articles

High-performance lithium batteries achieved by electrospun MXene-Enhanced cation-selective membranes

Conventional separators applied in lithium batteries face limitations like low porosity, poor electrolyte wettability, lower cation selectivity, and thermal instability, which impact battery performance and safety characteristics. Besides the challenge in separator design, transition metal ion migration from positive electrodes during cycling greatly accelerates capacity fading because of unrestricted diffusion of transition metal cation across the separator. This study explores an innovative strategy for the separator design by incorporating MXene (spraying MXene solution on both sides of the separator), a two-dimensional material, into electrospun Polyacrylonitrile/Polyetherimide membranes with the function of cation selection. Li+ can be accelerated, and its transference number increases along with the anion limitation in the MXene layer. Ni, Co, and Mn ion dissolution from the positive electrode is inhibited due to the cation selectivity of the MXene layer. Leveraging electrospinning advantages, the resultant membranes exhibit high porosity, excellent liquid absorption, mechanical strength, and superior thermal properties. Benefiting from MXene's layered structure and excellent adsorption ability, the membrane significantly inhibits the dissolution of transition metal ions while enabling smooth lithium deposition due to its cation selectivity. Eventually, the Li||NMC811 batteries deliver outstanding cyclic performance (91.3 % capacity retention after 200 cycles) and robust lithium dendrite suppression (800 h of stable cycling). Moreover, the MXene-modified membrane demonstrates exceptional electrolyte wettability, significantly improving ionic transference number (0.67) and conductivity (1.6 mS/cm). Modification of membrane surfaces with MXene offers insights into addressing transition metal ion migration from the positive electrode material perspective, providing a promising avenue for high-performance LIBs.

Effect of fast charging on degradation and safety characteristics of lithium-ion batteries with LiNixCoyMnzAl1-x-y-zO2 cathodes

Fast charging compatibility is an important technical aspect required of advanced lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries to lead the revolution and increase the adoption of electric vehicles. Although substantial material-level innovations have greatly promoted the widespread employment of fast charging rates for Li-ion batteries, the unfavorable rapid degradation and cell-level thermal instability are still bottlenecks for commercial success. In this study, fast-charging induced aging mechanisms and thermal safety characteristics of Li-ion batteries with quaternary energy-dense LiNixCoyMnzAl1-x-y-zO2 (NCMA) cathodes are comprehensively investigated. Promising fast-charge strategies under different thermal environments are applied to reveal their specific adverse side effects on electrochemical performances and cell lifetime. Post-mortem analysis is conducted to understand the distributions, microstructures, and chemical states of electrodepositions on cell components. Cell-level thermal safety evaluations are carried out based on accelerating rate calorimeter tests to determine evolutions of thermal safety hazards as a result of imposed fast charging conditions. This research highlights the significant role of lithium plating and aluminum dissolution in accelerating the thermo-electrochemical failure of the chosen NCMA-based Li-ion chemistry, providing new insights on degradation-safety interactions and effective mitigation strategies under fast charging conditions.

LES of the upper plenum of the liquid metal fast reactor under the forced flow conditions

A Large Eddy Simulation (LES) of the upper plenum of the E-SCAPE (European SCAled Pool Experiment) facility under the normal operations has been conducted to gain deeper insights into the thermal hydraulics phenomena in liquid metal fast reactors (LMFRs). The results unravel the overall flow features in the upper plenum, the thermal instability in the above core structure region and the impact of the jets from the barrel holes on the large flow circulation and thermal mixing.The above core structure region is represented using a homogeneous porous model. It is shown that during the normal operations, most of the hot stream of the lead bismuth eutectic (LBE) from the core center rises to the top and disperses from the upper barrel holes. Conversely, the cold LBE spread out from the lower barrel holes. Mixing between the two streams only affect the fluids leaving from the middle heights demonstrating limited mixing. These jets help to create a large circulation in the upper plenum region which prevents any thermal stratification. At the interface between the hotter and colder streams, there are unsteady large-scale structures resulting in a mixing layer in the thermal field. This strong mixing is not conventional turbulence and potentially cannot be captured by Reynolds Averaged Navier Stokes average (RANS) modelling.The flow in the upper plenum is dominated by the influences of the different types of jets, which include some free jets issued horizontally or angled upwards and some jets impinging onto the structures in the plenum. The jets overall behave similar to ‘standard’ jets, though significant interactions between the top and bottom jets and the background circulations have strong influences at later stages of the jets, typically after four jet diameters leading to the jets not reaching self-similarity. In addition, the turbulence that is observed in the upper plenum is largely generated by the jet flows and hence the distribution of turbulence is very non-uniform. Away from the jets, turbulence is minimal with the mixing largely driven by the large-scale circulation.

Deflagration characteristics of N2 diluted propanal/air mixtures at elevated pressures

Hydrocarbon fuels, in addition to being direct sources of energy, also serve as crucial raw materials for numerous industrial processes. In this study, the oxidation of propanal to propionic acid under elevated pressures has garnered our attention due to the substantial heat release during the mixing of propanal and oxidants, posing considerable hazards to production. Fortunately, the introduction of N2 effectively mitigates these risks by reducing the laminar burning speed (SL) and peak deflagration pressure (Pm), and even preventing the ignition of mixtures. On this basis, the deflagration characteristics of propanal/N2/air mixtures were investigated in a 20 L spherical vessel at 348 K under various equivalent ratios (φ, 0.5 - 2.0), dilution rates (D, 0 - 0.5) and initial pressures (P0, 0.1 - 1.0 MPa). The combustion characteristics of propanal/N2/air were also analyzed through the 1-D laminar flame speed model, and the sensitivity analysis was performed to elucidate the effect of φ, D and P0 on the combustion of propanal. Results reveal that the addition of N2 stabilizes the flame propagation, and the Pm of propanal/N2/air mixtures decreases with the increasing D, with a sudden drop observed at a certain D level. However, the reduction of SL does not undergo an abrupt decrease across the entire dilution rate range. Furthermore, Pm exhibits a linear relationship with P0 at lower D, but this linear trend disappears once D approaches the critical suppression concentration. Interestingly, the critical suppression concentration of N2 increases with P0 at fuel-rich conditions, yet remains unaffected by P0 at fuel-lean conditions. Near the critical suppression concentration, a limiting burning speed (Slim) emerges, below which the flame is incapable of spontaneous propagation. Notably, Slim is not a fixed value, but varies according to the composition and initial state of the mixture. For a given gas component, an increase in P0 leads to a decline in Slim, while for gases with varying components, Slim is observed to be lower under fuel-rich conditions compared to fuel-lean scenarios. Also, both the addition of N2 and the augmentation of P0 significantly reduce the SL. When SL is comparable to the gas rise speed due to natural convection, the flame propagation becomes vulnerable to buoyancy instability. Meanwhile, the flame propagation may also be influenced by thermal diffusion instability and hydrodynamic instability. Under the combined effect of these instabilities, the flame is prone to be unstable. More importantly, when the flame contacting the upper wall of the is in a critical state where it can or cannot propagate downward, the irregularity of the disturbed flame may introduces uncertainty into the subsequent propagation, resulting in markedly different Pm even among mixtures with identical compositions.

Experimental consideration of the effects of calcium lignosulfonate and tannic acid on the flammability and thermal properties of polylactide composites

The purpose of this study was to determine the quantitative and qualitative effects of the form of natural phenolic compounds (NPCs) on the decomposition of polylactide (PLA) under different measurement conditions. For this purpose, thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and pyrolysis-combustion flow calorimetry (PCFC) analyses were carried out not only on individual raw materials like calcium lignosulfonate (BX), tannic acid (TA), BX chemically modified with TA (BMT), but also on PLA/BX, PLA/TA, and PLA/BMT composites with 3, 6, and 9 wt.% of filler. Moreover, the work checked whether to obtain satisfactory results it is necessary to carry out chemical modification lasting many hours, or whether simple physical mixing of ingredients (TABX) is enough, e.g. in proportions 1:2, 2:4, 3:6. The results of these analyses showed that TA is neither a good flame retardant nor a highly swelling material, but when combined with BX physically or chemically, it can produce an interesting synergistic effect. This work proves that chemically obtained BMT hybrid material allows to reduce flammability by 30 % compared to PLA which cannot be achieved by physically mixing these components in a polymer melt. On the other hand, the addition of TABX is sufficient to achieve a good thermal stabilization effect under processing conditions.

Lignin-based carbon fibres: Effect of bio-polyamide on oxidative thermal stabilisation of lignin

Carbon fibres have been produced from hydroxypropyl-modified lignin (TcC)/bio-based polyamide 1010 (PA1010) blended filaments. Two grades of PA1010, with different molecular weights and rheological properties, were used for blending with TcC. An oxidative thermal stabilisation step was used prior to carbonisation in an inert atmosphere to prevent the fusion of the filaments during the latter step. Thermal stabilisation was not possible using a one-step stabilisation process reported in the literature for lignin and other lignin/synthetic polymer blends. As a consequence, a cyclic process involving an additional isothermal phase at a lower temperature than the precursor filaments’ melting point, was introduced to increase the cross-linking reactions between the lignin and polyamide. Thermally stabilised filaments were characterised by DSC, TGA, TGA-FTIR, ATR, and SEM techniques. Polymer rheology and heating rate used during thermal stabilisation influenced the thermal stabilisation process and mechanical properties of the derived filaments. Thermally stabilised filaments using optimised conditions (heating in the air atmosphere at 0.25 °C/min to 180 °C; isothermal for 1 h, cooling back down to ambient at 5 °C/min; heating to 250 °C at 0.25 °C/min, isothermal for 2 h) could be successfully carbonised. Carbon fibres produced had void-free morphologies and mechanical properties comparable to similarly thermally stabilised and carbonised polyacrylonitrile (PAN) filaments.

Improving storage performance and lattice oxygen stability of single crystal LiNi0.925Co0.03Mn0.045O2 by integrating utilization of surface residual lithium and lattice modulation

In lithium-ion batteries, Ni-rich single crystal cathode material (Ni > 90 %) is a promising cathode material, but it has not yet been put into commercial application due to defects such as structural degradation, air sensitivity and thermal instability. In this paper, the residual lithium compounds on the surface of high-nickel materials are not useless. Li3PO4 coated and Mg2+ doped single crystal cathode materials (SC-NCM-MP) were successfully prepared by precisely controlling the amount of MgHPO4 by titration and reacting with lithium compounds left on the surface of LiNi0.925Co0.03Mn0.045O2 (SC-NCM) cathode materials. The SC-NCM-MP samples exhibit better lattice oxygen stability, Li-ion mobility, storage performance and electrochemical performance, with a retention of 89.36 % after 100 cycles, which is much higher than 79.78 % of SC-NCM.

Potential of industrial symbiosis of petroleum residues and recycled polyethylene

In this work, a comparative study of the properties of polyethylene composites filled with the residue of solvent deasphalting of tar and asphaltenes isolated from it was carried out. Scanning electron microscopy analysis found that the compatibility of petroleum residue with the matrix was better than for asphaltenes. The observed effect was related to the present of petroleum resins, which have less polarity and long alkyl substituents that can improve molecular distribution asphaltenes in the nonpolar environment of polyethylene. Fourier transform infrared, thermo-gravimetric analysis, differential scanning calorimetry, and electron paramagnetic resonance methods have shown that asphaltenes play a key role in the thermal stabilization of composites. It is assumed that the radical traps in asphaltenes are free stable radicals, particles with unpaired electrons strongly delocalized on the π-system of polyaromatic molecules. Their antiradical action was associated to interactions with radicals formed during the thermal and thermo-oxidative decomposition of polyethylene result in the recombination and inhibition of further free-radical destruction. An analysis of the properties showed that the addition of a petroleum residue to the polyethylene makes it possible to maintain good mechanical properties after thermal-oxidative aging of composites. Thus, such asphaltene concentrates can be recommended as promising fillers for polyolefins in the polymer industry.

Investigations on properties, types and existing problems of thermal stabilizers of polyvinyl chloride

Investigations on properties, types and existing problems of thermal stabilizers of polyvinyl chloride

Role of phosphate-coordinating arginine residues in the thermal stability of uridine phosphorylase from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1

The role of phosphate-coordinating arginine residues in the thermal stability of uridine phosphorylase from Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 was investigated by mutation analysis. Uridine phosphorylase mutant genes were constructed by site-directed mutagenesis. The enzyme mutants were prepared and isolated, and their kinetic parameters were determined. It was shown that all these arginine residues play an important role both in the catalysis and thermal stability. The arginine residues 176 were demonstrated to form a kind of a phosphate pore in the hexameric structure of uridine phosphorylase, and they not only contribute to thermal stabilization of the enzyme but also have a regulatory function. The replacement of arginine 176 with an alanine residue resulted in a significant decrease in the kinetic stability of the enzyme but led to a twofold increase in its specific activity.

Oxygenated moiety enhanced thermal stabilization, mechanical, and thermomechanical performance of polyacrylonitrile/single wall carbon nanotubes films

AbstractThermo‐oxidative stabilization of polyacrylonitrile (PAN)‐copolymer and PAN/single‐walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) composite films were studied in the presence of oxygenated entities which may act as an internal oxygen supplier. The oxygenated moiety exhibited dual behavior, enhancing the stabilization efficiency of PAN while also improving the dispersion of SWCNT. The addition of oxygenated moiety treated SWCNT to PAN resulted in a significant reduction in activation energy from 118 kJ/mol to 99 kJ/mol, owing to a more stable oxidation reaction. Thermogravimetric analysis showed weight loss due to stabilization, and polymer chain degradation was lower in treated SWCNT composite films, resulting in an approximate 6% increase in residual weight. Mechanical testing showed a significant increase in tensile strength to 54.15 MPa and tensile modulus to 2.53 GPa with elongation at break of 13.2%, which is attributed to the enhanced interfacial shear strength resulting from the improved dispersion of oxygenated moiety‐treated nanotubes. Furthermore, thermomechanical analysis studies showed improvement in dimension stability with oxygenated moiety treated SWCNT composite films, attributed to better dispersion and increased interfacial strength between the polymer and filler.Highlights Oxygenated entities stabilize PAN and improve SWCNT dispersion. Activation energy was reduced from 118 to 99 kJ/mol with Tween‐80. Residual weight increased by 6% with treated SWCNT in TGA. Improved tensile strength (54.14 MPa), modulus (2.53 GPa) with modified SWCNT. Dimension stability is enhanced by interfacial strength with modified SWCNT.

In-situ biosynthesized plant exudate gums‑silver nanocomposites as corrosion inhibitors for mild steel in hydrochloric acid medium

Natural gums due to availability, multifunctionality, and nontoxicity are multifaceted in application. In corrosion inhibition applications, their performance, in unmodified form is unsatisfactory because of high hydration rate, solubility issues, algal and microbial contamination, as well as thermal instability. This work attempts to enhance the inhibitive performance of Berlinia grandiflora (BEG) and cashew (CEG) exudate gums through various modification approaches. The potential of biogenic BEG and CEG gums−silver (Ag) nanocomposites (NCPs) for corrosion inhibition of mild steel in 1 M HCl is studied. The nanocomposites were characterized using the FTIR, UV–vis, and TEM techniques. The corrosion studies through the gravimetric and electrochemical (PDP, EIS, LPR, and EFM) analyses reveal moderate inhibition performance by the nanocomposites. Furthermore, the PDP results reveal that both inhibitors are mixed-type with maximum corrosion inhibition efficiencies (IEs) of 61.2 % and 54.2 % for BEG-Ag NCP and CEG-Ag NCP, respectively at an optimum concentration of 1.0 %. Modification of these inhibitors with iodide ion (KI) significantly increased the IE values to 90.1 % and 88.5 % for BEG-Ag NCP and CEG-Ag NCP at the same concentration. Surface observation of the uninhibited and inhibited steel samples using SEM/EDAX, 3D Surface profilometer, and AFM affirm that the modified nanocomposites are highly effective.

Achieving Exceptional Thermal and Hydrolytic Resistance in Chemically Circular Polyesters via In-Chain 1,3-Cyclobutane Rings.

Polyesters, a highly promising class of circular polymers for achieving a closed-loop sustainable plastic economy, inherently exhibit material stability defects, especially in thermal and hydrolytic instability. Here, we introduce a class of polyesters, P(4R-BL) (R=Ph, Bu), featuring conformationally rigid 1,3-cyclobutane rings in the backbone. These polyesters not only exhibit superior thermostability (Td,5%=376-380 °C) but also demonstrate exceptional hydrolytic resistance with good integrity even after 1 year in basic and acidic aqueous solutions, distinguishing themselves from typical counterparts. Tailoring the flexibility of the side group R enables the controlled thermal and mechanical performance of P(4Ph-BL) and P(4Bu-BL) to rival durable syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE), respectively. Significantly, despite their high stability, both polyesters can be effectively depolymerized into pristine monomers, establishing a circular life cycle.

Achieving Exceptional Thermal and Hydrolytic Resistance in Chemically Circular Polyesters via In‐Chain 1,3‐Cyclobutane Rings

AbstractPolyesters, a highly promising class of circular polymers for achieving a closed‐loop sustainable plastic economy, inherently exhibit material stability defects, especially in thermal and hydrolytic instability. Here, we introduce a class of polyesters, P(4R‐BL) (R=Ph, Bu), featuring conformationally rigid 1,3‐cyclobutane rings in the backbone. These polyesters not only exhibit superior thermostability (Td,5%=376–380 °C) but also demonstrate exceptional hydrolytic resistance with good integrity even after 1 year in basic and acidic aqueous solutions, distinguishing themselves from typical counterparts. Tailoring the flexibility of the side group R enables the controlled thermal and mechanical performance of P(4Ph‐BL) and P(4Bu‐BL) to rival durable syndiotactic polystyrene (SPS) and low‐density polyethylene (LDPE), respectively. Significantly, despite their high stability, both polyesters can be effectively depolymerized into pristine monomers, establishing a circular life cycle.

Critical Factors Contributing to the Thermal Runaway of Thiophosphate Solid Electrolytes for All‐Solid‐State Batteries

AbstractAlthough all‐solid‐state batteries are suggested as a means to tackle the safety concerns associated with current Li‐ion batteries, there is presently a lack of comprehensive understanding regarding their thermal safety. In this context, critical factors contributing to the thermal runaway of thiophosphate solid electrolytes with charged Li1‐xNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 (NCM) under thermal and mechanical abuse conditions are demonstrated, considering parameters such as heating rate under thermal abuse conditions and the hybridization of S atom in structure. In particular, the thermal behavior of various solid electrolytes, including thiophosphates, thioantimonates, and halides, is investigated to clarify critical elements in Li6PS5Cl (LPSCl) contributing to its thermal instability when combined with charged NCM. Various ex situ analyses, along with density functional theory calculations, reveal a correlation between the hybridization of S atoms and the thermal instability of solid electrolytes, suggesting that sulfur acts as a key element triggering the thermal runaway of sulfide‐based solid electrolytes.

Enhancing Structural Rigidity of Ultrahigh-Ni Oxide Through Al and Nb Dual-Bulk-Doping for High-Voltage Lithium-Ion Batteries.

The pursuit of high energy densities propels the design of next-generation nickel-based layered oxide cathodes. The utilization of low-cobalt, ultrahigh-nickel layered oxide cathodes, and the extension of operating voltages promise enhanced energy density. However, stability and safety face challenges associated with nickel content, including structural degradation, lattice oxygen evolution, and thermal instability. In this study, a promising strategy of Al and Nb dual-bulk-doping is presented in high-Ni cathode materials of LiNi0.96Co0.04O2 (NC) to stabilize the bulk structure, suppress oxygen release, and attain superior electrochemical performance at high voltages. The introduction of Al and Nb effectively raises the migration energy of Ni2+ into Li sites and stabilizes lattice oxygen through strengthened Al─O and Nb─O bonds. Furthermore, the substitution of high-valence Nb ions reduces the charge depletion of lattice oxygen and induces an ordered microstructure. The Al and Nb dual-bulk-doping strategy mitigates strain and stress associated with the H2↔H3 phase transition, reducing the generation and propagation of microcracks. The resulting Li(Ni0.96Co0.04)0.985Al0.01Nb0.005O2 (NCAN) cathode exhibits superior cycling stability, with a capacity retention of 77.8% after 300 cycles, even when operating at a high-voltage of 4.4V, outperforming the NC (48.5%). This work provides a promising perspective for developing high-voltage and high-Ni cathode materials.

Highly-mass-loaded hot galactic winds are unstable to cool filament formation

Abstract As cool clouds are entrained by a hot supersonic galactic wind, they may be shredded by hydrodynamical instabilities and incorporated into the hot flow. One-dimensional steady-state calculations show how cool cloud entrainment affects the bulk thermodynamics and kinematics of the hot gas: mass-loading decelerates the hot flow and changes its entropy. Here, we investigate the stability of mass-loaded hot winds using both perturbation analysis and 3D time-dependent radiative hydrodynamical simulations. We show that mass-loading is stable over a broad range of parameters and that the 1D time-steady analytic solutions exactly reproduce the 3D time-dependent calculations, provided that the flow does not decelerate sufficiently to become subsonic. For higher values of the mass-loading, the flow develops a second sonic point, with the first being at the edge of the wind-driving region. Strong deceleration increases the wind density and the flow becomes radiative, undergoing a thermal instability to form elongated dense cometary filaments. We explore the mass-loading parameters required to trigger this behavior. For certain approximations, we can derive analytic criteria. In general a mass-loading rate similar to the initial hot mass outflow rate is required. In this sense, the destruction of small cool clouds by a hot flow may ultimately spontaneously generate fast cool filaments, as observed in starburst winds. Lastly, we find that the kinematics of filaments is sensitive to the slope of the mass-loading function. Filaments move faster than the surrounding wind if mass-loading is over long distances whereas filaments move slower than their surroundings if mass-loading is abrupt.

Highly thermally stable SrLaMgTaO6: Cr3+ double-perovskite phosphors for night-vision applications

In this study, a novel thermally stability broad-band near-infrared (NIR) phosphor SrLaMgTaO6 (SLMT): Cr3+ was research, along with investigations into its structure, morphology, PL spectra and crystal field strengths. Additionally, the mechanism of concentration quenching in these samples was investigated, which primarily attributed to electric multipolar interactions notably. Surprisingly, the NIR emission intensity at 423 K remains 80.4 % of its room temperature intensity, which shows its outstanding thermal stability. To comprehend the mechanism behind the exceptional thermal stability of luminescence, a comprehensive analysis in this material was conducted, focusing on factors such as the crystal field strength of the host material and the electron-phonon coupling (EPC) effect. Subsequently, an optimized phosphor coating was applied to a 470 nm LED chip to get a NIR pc-LED device, which was evaluated for its performance. The research demonstrate that SLMT: Cr3+ phosphor is a promising NIR pc-LED.

Fluid statics of a self-gravitating isothermal sphere of van der Waals' gas

We subject to scrutiny the physical consistency of adopting the perfect-gas thermodynamic model within self-gravitation circumstances by studying the fluid statics of a self-gravitating isothermal sphere with the van der Waals' thermodynamic model, whose equation of state features well-known terms that account for molecular attraction and size. The governing equations are formulated for any thermodynamic model with two intensive degrees of freedom, applied with the van der Waals' model and solved numerically in nondimensional form by finite-difference algorithms. After a brief summary of thermodynamic characteristics possessed by the van der Waals' model, and relevant to the present study, we proceed to the description of the results in terms of comparative graphs illustrating radial profiles of density, pressure, and gravitational field. We complement them with graphs that compare the dependence of central and wall densities on gravitational number for both perfect-gas and van der Waals' models and that attest dramatically and unequivocally how the presence of molecular-attraction and -size terms removes questionable fluid-statics results systematically found accompanying the perfect-gas model in standard treatments. We also describe, within a very brief and preliminary digression, how the sanitizing action of the mentioned terms affects the thermodynamics of the isothermal sphere by providing evidence of how the gravitational correction to entropy corresponding to the van der Waals' model makes sure that there is no risk of gravothermal catastrophes, negative specific heats, and thermal instabilities. Furthermore, we investigate the phenomenology related to self-gravitationally induced both liquid-gas phase equilibria and metastable-gas states and we describe how they arise naturally and self-consistently from the governing equations. We conclude with a summary of the main results and with a challenging proposal of future work meant to attempt a revalorization the perfect-gas model.

Early-stage latent thermal failure of single-crystal Ni-rich layered cathode

High nickel content worsens the thermal stability of layered cathodes for lithium-ion batteries, raising safety concerns for their applications. Thoroughly understanding the thermal failure process can offer valuable guidance for material optimization on thermal stability and new opportunities in monitoring battery thermal runaway (TR). Herein, this work comprehensively investigates the thermal failure process of a single-crystal nickel-rich layered cathode and finds that the latent thermal failure starts at ∼120 °C far below the TR temperature (225 °C). During this stage of heat accumulation, sequential structure transition is revealed by atomic resolution electron microscopy, which follows the layered → cation mixing layered → LiMn2O4-type spinel → disordered spinel → rock salt. This progression occurs as a result of the continuous migration and densification of transition metal cations. Phase transition generates gaseous oxygen, initially confined within the isolated closed pores, thereby not showing any thermal failure phenomena at the macro-level. Increasing temperature leads to pore growth and coalescence, and eventually to the formation of open pores, causing oxygen gas release and weight loss, which are the typical TR features. We highlight that latent thermal instability occurs before the macro-level TR, suggesting that suppressing phase transitions caused by early thermal instability is a crucial direction for material optimization. Our findings can also be used for early warning of battery thermal runaway.